Signs are everywhere; yet they are easy to miss.
For instance, I just arrived back from vacation to find a brand new stop sign on a heavily trafficked street that I have crossed thousands of times. I literally would have missed the sign if not for the car in front of me stopping.
While the stop sign is needed in order to force speeding cars to slow down, the act of stopping at that one spot seemed awkward, even out of place.
When you think about it, vacations are a little like that stop sign. They can feel a bit awkward at first, but they are a much needed reminder to slow down and even stop, whereby forcing us to snap out of our tunnel vision lives and recognize more than what’s directly in front of us.
In these moments when we step out of our own everyday thoughts and routines, that’s when we start to see signs everywhere. And while these signs may not always be traffic or safety-related, most will offer us subtle direction if we choose to embrace their guidance.
On this vacation in particular, I certainly wasn’t looking for a sign, but stumbled on the one featured in this post. The sign, in the form of a canvas painting, was hanging on a wall in a little cafe where we stopped for breakfast many times in the past. The size of the painting (at least 4x4ft) made it impossible to miss but it was the subject of the painting that made many patrons, including yours truly, linger.
The artwork featured 100 messages to inspire, motivate, and generally guide us through many of life’s phases, one word or phrase at a time.
I stood in front of that collection of signs for several minutes, reading and smiling, knowing I could definitely apply many of the sentiments to my own life. In a way, just seeing this painting was the sign I needed – a sign to stop thinking about work and actually enjoy my vacation and enjoy life, as well as those in it.
As I said, signs can be easily missed. But the great thing about signs is that, even when we are not looking for them, they seem to pop up at the exact time we need them.
In other words…if you are in need of a sign today, this just might be it.
